Abstract

ETHNOMEDICINAL PLANTS OF THE GARO HILLS AS POTENTIAL SOURCES OF ANTICANCER AGENTS

Abstract

Cancer caused roughly 20 million new cases and 9.7 million deaths worldwide in 2022, and Meghalaya carries one of the heaviest oesophageal cancer burdens in India. Conventional treatment remains constrained by systemic toxicity and acquired drug resistance, which has renewed interest in plant-derived cytotoxic agents. The Garo Hills of Meghalaya fall within the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot and support a body of traditional plant knowledge held by Garo healers and passed on orally.This review examines 23 species from 20 families used in Garo ethnomedicine, drawing together ethnobotanical records, phytochemical profiles and published pharmacological data. Species were selected on documented traditional use among the Garo, available phytochemical characterisation and reported biological activity. Recorded constituents include alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids and phenolic acids, several of which act by inducing apoptosis, arresting the cell cycle and modulating NF-kB and related signalling pathways.The species separate into three groups by strength of evidence. Eight, among them Citrus macroptera and Oroxylum indicum, have measured cytotoxicity against cancer cell lines including HeLa, MCF-7 and HCT116. Five show antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity consistent with chemopreventive potential but have not been tested directly against cancer cells. The remaining ten rest mainly on ethnobotanical record and genus-level evidence. Most data come from in vitro assays; in vivo work is sparse and clinical data absent. Bioassay-guided fractionation, selectivity indexing against normal cell lines and animal studies are the immediate priorities for this flora.

Keywords: Garo Hills; ethnomedicine; anticancer; phytochemicals; apoptosis; Meghalaya.